Dry-ore separator



' P. W. REARDON.

DRY ORE SEPARATOR.-

`(No Model.)

, Patentedsept. 5, 1882.

washingxnn. D. C

A' UNITED STATES PATENT Erice.

PATRICK W. REARDON, OF SAN JOS, CALIFORNIA.

DRY-ORE'si-:PARAhToR To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK W. REARD'ON, of San Jose', county of Santa Clara, State of California, have invented an Improved Dry- Ore Separator; and I hereby declare the f'ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof'.

My invention relates to certain improvements in that'class of ore separators known as dry-ore separators.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion of it. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the riiiiebox. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of same.

A represents an elongated open frame. At one end of this, upon its top, is secured a box,

"B, the sides ot' which are of metal, wood, or

other firm material', and its bottom is of flexible material, such as leather. This box covers the width of frame A, and has a slight upward inclination, as shown. Inside ofit are secured, transversely to the flexible bottom, successive strips or rifties b. These extend the wholel width of the box, and are separated from each other, as shown. They are made triangular in shape, the apex extending upward about halt' the height of the box. The fronts of these riffles are cut away and curved out to form overhanging lips or flanges b', underwhich aresecured rubber or elastic buffers or rollers b2, extending across the faces of the riifles.

@Weste-with DOK B. an( 'n uw1 to `tit over its top, its

sides ping over the sides of the under box. Under the top of box C are secured transversely a number of blocks or strips, c, triangular in shape, the apexes of which extend downwardly between those of riffles b on the `under box, and their sides lie parallel with the sides of those below. Betwe these stri s c and ri es b is thus formed prmpndulatine nassee w 11o, o` accouutiof the po-` sition oftlie entire rifiie box, has an upward tendency to the end of the frame.

D represents a hopper, which is secured at and over the entrance ofthe riiiie-box by dan ges d, which are secured to the top of box (l and to the top of a frame or box, E, which/f I shall hereinafter describe. The hopper ex- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,808, dated September 5 1882.

Application filed June 23, 1882.

(No model.)

tends ac ross the width of frame A, and has h -journaled in its throat a i'eedershaft, F, the

circumference of which is provided with longitudinal flanges f, which are of sufficient width to close the throat of the hopper as they pass down by its sides. tends through the hopper and is provided with a double pulley, G. Under the frame isjournaled a shaft, H, carrying a pulley, h, to which a belt, 7L', extends from pulley G. The shaft H carries a tappet-wheel, Ithe projections i upon which come in contact witha bar, J, snspended above. This bar tapers to both ends, and is adapted to be driven against cleats j, secured under the flexible bottom of box B.

K is an air-tight reservoir having an expanding flexible top, k, upon which a suitable weight, W, may be placed. This reservoir is supported by frame A, and is supplied with air, which is forced in through the bottom by any suitable form of blower, (here designated by L.) The continuous supply of air forced by the blower into the iiexible reservoir K fills said reservoir constantly with a volume of air, which is immediately and continuously subject to the steady pressure of the weight W, which tends to collapses-aid reservoir, thereby forcing the air out through E in a regular, steady current.

M is the driving-wheel, to which power is applied. From it a belt, m, extends to the blower L, and from a pulley, N, upon the same `shaft a belt, n, passes to the double pulley G.

E is a wide box or dat pipe opening from the side of the air-reservoir. Its top extends down to the rear side Aof the throat of the hopper, and its 'bottom extends under the throat and into the entrance of the riftle-box, resting upon the bottom ofthe box B` near the face ot' the tirst rifde. This flat pipe has a downward inclination, and is of equal .width to the airreservoir, the throat of thehopper, and ythe rifiie-box.

O is a valve fitting across the passage of the flat pipe` E, operated by screws, and adapted to open or close said passage.

Thefoperation of the machine is as follows: To secure the best results l prefer to suitably grade the ore by means of screens before feeding it. Iput it in the hopper, and the feedersh aft F, with its flan ges f, (revolved by the pul- This feeder-shaft exy IOC leys Gr hand belt h,) will permit but a certain quantity to pass through the throat at a time, thus avoiding an overcrowding of the rifebox. The ore falls through the throat, over the width of the bottom plate of the dat pipe E. By the operation of the blower L and the pressure-reservoir K a steady sheet ot' air is forced through pipe E against the ore, which is thereby carried into the rifde-box and against the face of the first riffle. Here the elastic buffer or roller b2 acts as a cushion, and the ore drops down, the heavier concentrations lodging in the curved face of the rifde, while the lighter particles are thrown up by the current of air and forced upward through the undulating passage a and down to the next riftle, where more concentrations are saved, and so on throughout. The upward inclination of the entire rife-box, as well as the inclined riftles, adds to the result by causing the heavier particles to roll back or lodge, whileonly the lighter ones nally reach the discharge end. In addition to this the ore is kept agitated within the riftie-box by the revolution of the tappet-wheel I, which, knocking against the tappet-bar, causes the latter to knock against the cleats j, and thus to impress the flexible bottom of the rifEte-box. This has a settling tendency upon the ore.

By the valve O, I can regulate the intensity of the air-current, adapting it to various grades of ore.

I am aware that dry-orc separators have been used in which means have been employed to force a steady current or quantity of air into a reservoir; but in this device, as in all other machines of this class of which I am aware, the separation is effected byintermittent blasts or gusts of air directed upon the ore. In my device this is not so. I deem it essential to the effective operation of my machine that the air directed upon thel ore should be a steady current. By this means the operation is a continuous one, and the ore is not aftected as it would be were it subjected to intermittent gusts.

By removing the upper box, C, access may be had to the rifiies to remove' the concentrations.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dry-ore separator, the riftle-box consisting of the under box, B, provided with transverse triangular riftles b, having cutaway or curved faces and overhan ging lips b', and the upper overlapping box, C, provided with transverse triangular strips c, between which and riftles b an undulating passage, a, is formed, in combination with a hopper or orefeeding device communicating with the passage a, and means for 'directing a current of air within said passage, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. In a dry-ore separator, the upwardly-inclined riffle-box consisting of the under box, B, provided with transverse triangular rifdes b, having curved faces and lips b and rubber or elastic cushions b2, and the upper box, C, provided with strips c, between which and rit'- fles b an undulating passage, a, is formed, in combination with an orevfeedin g device and means for directing a current of air within said passage, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

3. In a dry-ore separator, the riiitle-box consisting ofthe under box, B, provided with a flexible bottom having cleats j and the transverse triangular riftles b, and the upper box, C, provided with transverse triangular strips c, between which and the rifdes b an undulating passage, a, is formed, an ore-feeding device, and means for directing within it a current of air, in combination with the means for striking the iexible bottom of said riffle-box, consisting of the tapered bar J, tappet-wheel I, and driving mechanism for said wheel, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

4. In a dry-ore separator, the upwardly-inclined riffle-box consisting ot' the boxes B and C, provided with the transverse triangular rifiies b and o, between which an undulating passage, a, is formed, and means for directing a current of air within said passage a, in combination with the hopper, I), and the revolving feeder-shaft F, having angcsf, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

5. In a dry-ore separator, an upwardly-inclined riffle-box provided with an undulating passage, a, and an ore-feeding device communicating with said passage, in combination with the compressed-air reservoir K, wide fiat pipe E, andthe blower L, substantially as and t'orthe purpose herein described.

6. A dry-ore separator comprising the riffie-box consisting of the boxes B and C, hav-v IOO IIO 

